10 May 2006

Hospital Smoking Bans a Sign of Things to Come

By Jesse Virgil

The smoking bans put in place last week at Genesis and Trinity hospitals are the first signs of what is almost certainly an inevitable end: smoking being forbidden in all enclosed public spaces in the Quad Cities.

18 Apr 2006

Davenport Marketing Can't Overcome City's Deficiencies

By Administrator

I'd like to write a column about how Davenport is marketing itself. But any discussion about the marketing of Davenport needs to be preceded by a discussion of what's being marketed. That's because we have to fix any company's (or city's) infrastructure if we expect the masses to flock to it as a result of marketing.

11 Apr 2006

Civic Participation Needed to Save Davenport From Serious Damage

By William D. Ashton

Editor's note: Below is a letter from Davenport's own Bill Ashton of Ashton Engineering, detailing his concerns, relative to flooding, with the Isle of Capri's (IOC's) proposal for building a casino hotel on downtown Davenport's riverfront.

04 Apr 2006

United Way Charts Course Following Teen Survey

By Jesse Virgil

The United Way is taking two approaches to improving teenagers' chances of success in adulthood following a survey that found that 91 percent of Quad Cities teens lack sufficient "developmental assets." But some teens are skeptical of both the survey and its findings.

28 Feb 2006

Davenport Schools Form Committee to Push for Legislative Changes

By Jesse Virgil

More money for local schools, as well as more freedom in terms of spending levels, are the top priorities of a new committee in Davenport. The Legislative Advocacy Committee was formed by the Davenport Community School District Board in February to work with local legislators and community members on those issues.

28 Feb 2006

Sierra Club Raises Objections to Proposed Hotel-Casino Site

By Mark N. Beorkrem

January 18, 2006 Re: CEMVR-OD-P-2005-1598 Isle of Capri Casino Dear Mr. Betker, The Eagle View Group of the Sierra Club, Iowa and Illinois Chapters is submitting these comments regarding the Section 10, Rivers and Harbor Act permit application for dredging along the Davenport, Iowa riverfront for purposes of moving an existing gambling boat operation.

28 Feb 2006

Bent River Has Big Plans for Its Beer

By Johanna Welzenbach-Hilliard

Tim Koster, part owner of Bent River Brewing Company, and Rich Nunez, its head brewer, have big ambitions. Along with the company's other owners, board members, and staff, they are not content to be just a "brew pub.

21 Feb 2006

Money Down the Drain?

By Jeff Ignatius

The federal Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. More than 30 years later, the federal government, states, and cities are still figuring out how to navigate it. Without a doubt, though, communities that run afoul of the law find that the Clean Water Act is expensive.

14 Feb 2006

Survey Suggests a Grim Forecast for Area Youth

By Jesse Virgil

Ninety-one percent of Quad Cities teenagers do not have sufficient "developmental assets" and are therefore less likely to be successful adults, a recently released survey found. On January 27, the United Way of the Quad Cities Area announced the results of a survey filled out by 8,000 seventh-, ninth-, and 12th-grade students from nearly every school district in Scott and Rock Island counties.

24 Jan 2006

Black Hawk College Forms a New Gay-Straight Alliance

By Mike Schulz

Viewed less as a movie than as a cultural phenomenon, one of the most refreshing aspects of Brokeback Mountain is the matter-of-factness with which it tells its gay love story, as this revolutionary work treats its protagonists' romance with the same dignity and consideration that has accompanied heterosexual screen romances since the dawn of cinema.

Support the Reader

With your one-time, monthly, or annual contribution, the Reader can continue providing uncensored, non-scripted, and independent journalism alongside the Quad Cities area's most comprehensive cultural coverage.

Alive & Free Since '93